Love is Blind star Carlton Morton is mourning the death of ex-boyfriend Zavion Michael Davenport, who was otherwise known as Chi Chi DeVayne from RuPaul's Drag Race. Through his Chi Chi DeVayne drag persona, Zavion first competed on Drag Race season 8, where he made it to Top 4. A few years later, Zavion returned to the franchise to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3. The fans have always loved Chi Chi DeVayne for her charisma, resilience, and kindness.
In 2020, Carlton Morton appeared on the first season of Netflix's hit reality series Love is Blind. On the show, Carlton fell in love with Diamond Jack but had a hard time coming out to her as bisexual. Unfortunately, Carlton's self-doubt led to an unintended argument that made Diamond feel confused and unsure of their relationship. During the Love is Blind reunion special, Carlton apologized to Diamond and took the time to explain how he sees himself in the sexuality spectrum.
On Thursday, August 20, 2020, Zavion Michael Davenport a.k.a. Chi Chi DeVayne died at age 34. To the surprise of many, Love is Blind's Carlton Morton shared a message in Zavion's memory. It is of note that both Zavion and Carlton are from Louisiana. In the Instagram post (below), Carlton says that Zavion was one of his first boyfriends. Carlton recalls a trip to Paris where they promised each other to travel the world together once they "make it" in life. A few years later, they reconnected while Zavion was filming season 8 of Drag Race, and Carlton even got invited to join him on tour. Overall, Carlton describes Zavion as one of his best friends and credits his ex for helping him through a lot of anxiety and depression.
In the post, Carlton references scleroderma for being the cause of Zavion's death. This is a medical condition that Zavion had been struggling with for many years, even before his time on Drag Race. Also called systemic sclerosis, this chronic condition is classified as an autoimmune disease that manifests itself by hardening one's skin. Chi Chi DeVayne's fans had first caught wind of this issue when Zavion was hospitalized last month. At the time, RuPaul's Drag Race fans sent words of encouragement and donations for Zavion's medical recovery. However, Zavion was unfortunately rushed to the hospital once again in recent days... which led up to the news of his passing on August 20.
It is a dark time for Chi Chi a.k.a. Zavion's relatives, friends, peers, and fans. Nonetheless, fans were pleased to see Carlton's touching tribute to Zavion and learn about their history together.
Source: Instagram